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1957 Corvette Rochester Ramjet fuel injection

 

In 1957, Zora was instrumental in introducing Rochester Ramjet fuel injection to the production Corvette. The 283 ci engine was also introduced and coupled with fuel injected and the Duntov cam produced 283 hp. One hp per cubic inch.

 

Early in 1957, Chevrolet was in the beginning stages of developing a completely new small car concept that would eventually become the Corvair. Zora and his Corvette designers saw that the transaxle and independent rear suspension from the Corvair could be used to develop a totally new and revolutionary Corvette for 1960. The rear mounted transmission/axle helped balance the weight of the Corvette. Drum brakes were mounted inboard to reduce unsprung weight. Even the starter  motor was on the transaxle for weight balancing. The transaxle case was aluminum and could be offered as either a 4-speed manual or automatic. Up front an all-aluminum, fuel-injected 283ci engine with a dry-sump oil system was proposed. There were to be no steel valve guides, valve  seats or piston sleeves. This was to help achieve the target weight of 2,225 pounds. The proposed structure of the Q-Corvette was a steel platform similar to the 356 Porsche.

 

1963 Corvette Grand Sport

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1960 concept - the Q-Corvette

 

Because of the transmission location, the interior would have been larger, even though the length and height were smaller than the production Corvette. The fastback roof had a permanent arch behind the cockpit and removable roof panels. At the leading edge of the windshield, there were no A-pillars. Bill Mitchell suggested to stylists Bob Veryzer and Pete Brock that the styling should come from the slimness of the Pininfarina / Abarth cars with a strong horizontal line and bulges over the wheels in the upper surfaces. The pointed nose had driving lights in the grille opening and manually operated pop-up headlights. Mitchell's Sting Ray Racer used most of the same styling ideas. In 1958 there was a recession in the automobile industry, so eventually GM killed the expensive Q-Corvette project. As it was, Corvettes were hardly profitable. So the Q-Corvette was an on-paper and clay-only prototype with some great ideas that took 30 years to produce.

 

Until 1975, when he retired from Chevrolet, Duntov continued to guide the Corvette’s development and to ward off attempts by Chevrolet and GM to cancel the sports car, and even after his retirement and up to his death in 1996, Duntov remained an ambassador for the Corvette. In addition to his Great Hall nomination, Duntov has also been inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame, the Automotive Hall of Fame, the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame, and the National Corvette Museum Hall of Fame.

 

Fittingly, one of the cars that Bloomington Gold inducted into the Great Hall in 2013 was one of Duntov’s signature creations, the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport.

 

Along with Duntov and the 1963 Corvette Grand Sport, the 2013 Great Hall inductees included Mike Antonick, Bloomington Gold; Reeves Callaway, Carlisle Productions; Chip Miller, Bill Mitchell, Jim Perkins, Dr. Dick Thompson, Mike Yager, the 1957 Rochester Ramjet fuel-injected Corvette, the 1961 Gulf Corvette racer, the 1962 327-cu.in. small-block-powered Corvette, the 1965 396-cu.in. big-block-powered Corvette, the 1967 L88 Daytona Corvette racer, the 1987 Escort Series Corvette racer, the Callaway Corvette, the C5 Z06, and the C6 ZR1.

 

Initiated in 2010, the Bloomington Gold Great Hall was conceived to recognize the top 50 people and cars in the Corvette’s history by selecting 10 people and 10 cars every year for five years. The 2013 Great Hall induction ceremony will take place June 27-30 in its new location of Champaign, Illinois. For more information, visit BloomingtonGold.com.

 

This article from Hemmings Daily article of Dec. 5, 2012 has been enhanced with info from Remarkable Corvettes website. Photos courtesy of GM Media or Remarkable Corvettes website.

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